Spurs’ championship DVD less than stellar

The euphoria over the San Antonio Spurs third NBA championship in seven years has died down somewhat, but you can still see “Go Spurs Go” banners proudly displayed all over town. It’s a wonderful thing to win a title, especially since the two-month-long playoffs starts to feel like watching a season of “Survivor.” Especially the fourth quarter of Game 7.

One of the bennies of winning the title is that the NBA produces a video of your season. Now that DVD is the dominant format, it means that the extras are more accessible. The 2002-2003 video was very well received, especially because it included the clinching 4th quarters for all four series in addition to the slick main documentary.

The 2004-2005 version, while it includes some good extras, is a bit disappointing because it only includes the broadcast final quarter of Game 7 vs. the Detroit Pistons. Instead, it includes mini-documentaries on Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili; a longer documentary on Tim Duncan returning to his boyhood home in the U.S. Virgin Islands; an NBA-TV segment on Coach Gregg Popovich’s training techniques; two playoff recaps, one with Bruce Bowen, the other a collection of all 16 teams; NBA pre- and post-series analysis; Will Smith’s “Switch” music video; and the amusing Parker/Ginobili NBA Finals Trophy promo.

The main feature documentary is presented in a wide-screen format; the extras are standard format. Something to watch for: Manu’s steadily lengthening hair as the season progresses; and the unnamed questioner to Tim Duncan after Game 1 is Connexion’s Raul Flores.

What’s really missing here are the final quarters from the Denver, Seattle and Phoenix series. It also seems as if there’s not enough emphasis on Game 5. That was the game that really turned the series around, because the first four games were blowouts, and Game 5 was the first really close game. It was also when Robert Horry stepped up, as he is wont to do in the playoffs. It would have been nice to relive the actual last few minutes of regulation and the overtime period in addition to the documentary version.

There’s also no coverage of the pep rally at the Alamodome after the River Parade. They could have at least included a few seconds of Tony Parker’s French rap.

Overall, this disc is a good representation of the third championship season. It belongs in the Spurs fan’s collection. It’s just that the second one was better.